Update July 3, 2014 — Publication 15-T has been obsoleted. Q1. Do I need to change my W-4? A. Generally, for people who receive a paycheck, the credit will typically be handled by their employers through automated withholding changes. A Form W-4 PDF, Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate, will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. An employee with multiple jobs or married couples whose combined income place them in a higher tax bracket may elect to submit a revised W-4 to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for his/her combined income. IRS Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?, provides additional guidance for tax withholding. Q2. Should employees who are nonresident aliens or who can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return ask for additional withholding on line 6 of the Form W-4? A. Because nonresident aliens and those who can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s income tax return are not eligible for the Making Work Pay Credit, the new withholding tables may cause them to be underwithheld. These taxpayers need to evaluate their expected tax liability for the year and determine if they need to either make appropriate estimated tax payments or adjust their withholding on Form W-4. However, Publication 15-T, New Wage Withholding and Advanced Earned Income Credit Payment Tables (for wages paid through December 2009), does include additional amounts to be added to the pay of nonresident aliens to figure their income tax withholding. Q3. Will employers be required to determine if employees received the maximum credit and discontinue any further related withholding tax reductions? A. Employers are not required to make determinations with regard to an employee’s eligibility for the Making Work Pay credit. Withholding should be made consistent with the employee's filed W-4 and the newly modified withholding tables. Related Items: Making Work Pay Questions and Answers: General Issues Making Work Pay Questions and Answers: New Withholding Tables Making Work Pay Questions and Answers: Economic Recovery Payments The Making Work Pay Tax Credit
